This tour will start with St Mark's Square, the former political centre of the Venetian Republic, and will take you into St.Mark's Basilica, a 900 year old marvel of architecture, unique in Italy for its Byzantine and Medieval mosaics, its intricate stone and marble traceries and exuberant orientalizing domes

(Our guide will be armed with a special pass, so you will skip the line to get in !)

Our guide will describe all the famous architectures (the Doges' Palace, Sansovino Library, the Bridge of Sighs, the Bell Tower...) and will provide a good historical introduction to the city: its genesis, maximum expansion and decline, through the course of time,spanning from the 9th to the 19th century !

After that, away from the crowds, we take a walk "backstage" to discover the unique layout of the city: bridges, fancy private palaces, narrow alleyways, large and small squares, elaborate stone well heads.

You'll learn how to get oriented in this maze like city, how it feels living in a place like this, and how today's administrators deal with the maintenance of this fragile heritage, facing year after year the risks of massive and unsustainable tourism!

We'll end our visit in the busy central area of Rialto, defined by historians "the Wall Street of Europe in the Middle Ages"to see the bridge - with a spectacular view on the Grand Canal - and its famous food market

The tour operates:

TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS FROM 10.00 am TO 12.30 pm

Meeting point and meeting time:

10.00 am - St. Mark's Square, by the exit of the Doges' Palace (see picture on the left)

Duration: 2 and a half hours

Cost: Euro 60 per person

Number of participants: maximum 8 people

Dress code and advice:

No shorts (knee high are fine) - no sleeveless (short sleeves ok).Our tours are intense and include quite a good amount of walking, good legs and good shoes are necessary.As official city guides we can access St Mark's Basilica through a priority entrance from April through October.(as noted above, high tide and religious services permitting)

Wednesday, October 12, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM (CEST)

Organizer

Walks inside Venice

Booking with us will provide you with:

- the skills of a professional expert guide- the insider's view and the warm and lively approach of a native Italian friend - a deep knowledge of the artistic and historical heritage of each city, combined with a first hand experience of today's Italy. -- right into the heart of Italy with your own personal expert....